Belt cores for winding and storing materials thereon, such as for example, conveyor belts, leather, or tire fabrics must be strong, durable and capable of withstanding high compressive forces. Current belt cores are typically wood-based or metallic. A longstanding problem with wood-based materials is their inability to withstand high pressure. Pressed wood cores often break and/or splinter with repetitive use and are generally more brittle. The pressed wood may also shed, leaving wood particles, sawdust or impressions in the belt or other material that is wound thereon, which oftentimes renders that region of the belt unusable. Furthermore, winding materials, when wound on wood-based cores, are nailed at one end to the wood-based core. Such nailing tends to break up the core or splinter the region, which oftentimes damages or otherwise renders the core from being reused.
Wood-based cores as well as metallic cores are generally heavy, making them cumbersome to handle and difficult to cut. Both wood-based cores and metallic cores often require many processing steps so that they are capable of withstanding the high pressures and compressive strains that will be exerted on them, which are costly and/or time consuming. For example, wood-based cores require numerous steps to fumigate and heat treat the wood before said cores can be shipped overseas.
Consequently, objects described herein are to provide new and improved belt cores that address the aforementioned deficiencies.